Sugar plasticizer product



COATING n PLASTlC CROSS REFERENCE aatented June 22, 1943 Search RoomSUGAR PLASTICIZER PRODUCT Nathan R. Pike, New Rochelle, N. Y., Paul H.Kelm, Fort Lee, and George A. McLaren, Jr., West Englewood, N. J.,assignors to Applied Sugar Laboratories, Inc., New York, N. Y., a

corporation of New York No Drawing. Application November 14, 1941,Serial No. 419,168

4 Claims.

This invention relates to compositions of matter containing a sugar as,for example, dextrose, levulose, invert sugar and the like incorporatedwith an adhesive such. for example, as an animal or vegetable glue. Insuch compositions the function of the sugar is to serve primarily as aplasticizer or softening agent, thereby promoting flexibility, freedomfrom excessive shrinkage, warping and curling. Typical examples of suchcompositions are glues used in the manufacture of paper boxes,bookbinders glues, padding glues, glues for laminating papers,advertising displays, and mounting and finishing operations. Otherexamples are compositions used in making printers rollers.

In making such compositions the monosaccharide may be mixed with ananimal glue such as bone glue or hide glue, or with a vegetable gluesuch as may be made from the various starches and their conversionproducts.

In such adhesives the monosaccharides in general may be employed. Ofcourse, the commonest and most readily available among themonosaccharides are dextrose, levulose, invert sugar and mixtures ofthese substances as such or with other sugars, dextrines and the like.The use of such monosaccharides has a number of advantages includingeconomy as compared with the use of glycerine, but are also attendedwith certain disadvantages. For example, when used in conjunction withanimal or protein glue an undesirable tanning action of themonosaccharide or sugar on the glu takes place. Another disadvantagewhich has been claimed to exist in some cases at least, is that thesugar does not provide as satisfactory or efficient a plasticizer orsoftening action as glycerine.

It is an object of this invention to so treat the sugars as to removethe disadvantages and improve them in other respects.

As above stated, the monsaccharides in general may be employed, althoughit is desirable for reasons of economy to use the more readily availablemonosaccharidcs such as dextrose, invert sugar and the like.

In accordance with this invention the monosaccharide as, for example,dextrose or invert sugar, is treated and reacted with an alkalinebisulfite. By this term is meant the alkaline bisulfites in general andincluding as species thereof sodium bisulfite and potassium bisulfite.It is believed that the explanation of the advantages of th inventionrests in the formation of an addition product of the alkaline bisulfitewith the aldehydic or ketonic structure of the sugar.

Whatever the theory may be, the fact remains that sugars treated inaccordance with the present invention are markedly improved in respectof their use for th purposes stated. The addition or reaction producteffects a stabilizing action. In addition, it improves the softening andplasticizing function of the sugar, prevents the darkening thereof whenused in conjunction with adhesives, and when employed as a component ofa composition containing an animal or protein glue prevents theundesirable tanning action thereof. Furthermore, it has been observedthat aid addition or reaction product acts as a buffer, therebypreventing the development of undue acidity, and stabilizes the pH ofthe various compositions in which it is employed at a desirable value ofapproximately 6.2. Another advantage is the fact that the addition orreaction product acts as a preservative or antiseptic and prevents thedevelopment of mold growth or decomposition.

For purposes of illustrating the preparation of a typical reactionproduct in accordance with the present invention, the following isgiven:

Example 1.--Invert syrup of 82 Brix is reacted with 10 percent sodiumbisulfite in dry form based upon the dry sugar content of the syrup.This is heated to C. and maintained at that temperature with agitationuntil the bisulfite is dissolved The mixture is allowed to cool and isthen ready for use and may be shipped as such to a point of disposal tob used as a substitute for the sugars or glycerines which are nowconventionally and commonly employed for that purpose.

As a typical instance of the manner in which said new product may beemployed as such sub stitute, the following is given:

Example 2.--One part by dry weight of glue is soaked in one part byweight of water for from 1 to 2 hours to soften up the glue. To this,with constant agitation and at a temperature of approximately 70 C.,there is added one part by weight of the product produced as in Example1 above. Agitation is continued and the temperature held at about 70 C.until a homogeneous mixture is obtained.

Such a composition has been compared under severe conditions with acomposition similarly made up but containing the unreacted invert sugarsyrup. The composition containing the reacted syrup was found to be freefrom tanning action, to have and to maintain a color even lighter thanthat of the glue itself, and to be markedly superior in flexibilityunder conditions of extremely low relative humidity. It was alsoobserved that the composition containing the unreacted syrup hadtendencies towards mold growth and decomposition, which tendencies didnot appear in the composition containing the reacted syrup.

As above stated, the treated sugar of the present invention may beemployed, in general, as a component of adhesives, as for example, thevegetable glue adhesives and silicate adhesives as well as those madefrom animal glue, and may also be advantageously employed generally incompositions of a plastic or adhesive nature in which sugars andgiycerine have conventionally been employed.

It is to be understood that the invention is applicable to variousproducts containing monosaccharides, e. g.. mixtures of monosaccharideswith disaccharides and polysaccharides, as for example a syrupcontaining or consisting of (a) sucrose and dextrose or (b) sucrose andinvert sugar or (0) sucrose and levulose or (d) dextrin and dextrose or(e) maltose and dextrose or (f) commercial glucose containing maltose,dextrin and dextrose. Numerous other combinations and mixtures,containing a monosaccharide, to which the invention is advantageouslyapplicable will,

in the light of the foregoing, be apparent to those skilled in the art.

We claim:

1. A composition of matter comprising a sub stance selected from thegroup consisting of animal and vegetable glues incorporated with thereaction product of a monosaccharide and an alkaline bisuifite.

2. A composition of matter comprising a substance selected from thegroup consisting of animal and vegetable glues incorporated with thereaction product of dextrose and an alkaline bisulfite.

3. A composition of matter comprising a substance selected from thegroup consisting of animal and vegetable glues incorporated with thereaction product of levulose and an alkaline bisulfite.

4. A composition of matter comprising a substance selected from thegroup consisting of animal and vegetable glues incorporated with thereaction product of invert sugar and an alkaline bisulfitc.

NATHAN R. PIKE. PAUL H. KELM. GEORGE A. MCLAREN, JR.

